SEATTLE — The risk of type 2 diabetes increased with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea, even after obesity was taken into account, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Dr. Sonia Togeiro and her colleagues conducted a population-based study of OSA and diabetes among 1,042 men and women aged 20-80 years living in São Paulo, Brazil. All study participants underwent full-night polysomnography.
A total of 62% of participants did not have OSA, 21% had mild OSA, and 17% had moderate or severe OSA, reported Dr. Togeiro, an endocrinologist at Federal University of São Paulo. A total of 7% overall had diabetes. In addition, 38% were overweight, and 21% were obese.
Compared with patients who did not have OSA, those with mild OSA and participants with moderate or severe OSA alike were older (mean age 37 years vs. 48 years and 53 years, respectively), had a higher body mass index (25 kg/m
The presence and severity of OSA were also associated with a more unfavorable metabolic profile, Dr. Togeiro noted. Both OSA groups had higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin, and a higher homeostasis model assessment index, compared with the unaffected group.
In a multivariate analysis, participants with mild OSA had a nonsignificant increase in the risk of diabetes relative to their counterparts who did not have OSA (odds ratio 1.07), and participants with moderate or severe OSA had a significant near doubling of risk (odds ratio 1.97).
OSA also was more prevalent in participants with diabetes. A total of 73% of individuals with diabetes had the condition, compared with 36% of those without diabetes, said Dr. Togeiro, who reported having no conflicts of interest.